UFC moving Till off Orlando card to fight Thompson in England
UFC president Dana White announced he's taking British welterweight Darren Till off a February card in Orlando in order to book him against Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson in Till's native country.
"We're supposed to do this fight in Orlando. I'm pulling it from Orlando and I'm moving it out to his hometown in England," White said, according to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times.
It was initially reported the entire Orlando card would be moving to England, however, it is just the Till-Wonderboy fight that will be held in Liverpool at a yet-to-be-determined date.
Till (16-0-1) has quickly climbed up the welterweight rankings after a convincing first-round knockout of veteran Donald Cerrone in his fifth UFC bout on Oct. 21. Through his first five fights with the promotion, the Liverpool native has yet to fight in North America.
Thompson (14-2-1) won his most recent fight, beating Jorge Masvidal by unanimous decision last Saturday at UFC 217. He is currently the No. 2 welterweight contender, but could not defeat Tyron Woodley in back-to-back title shots between November 2016 and March 2017.